Alternate Consequences
by misswildfire
Summary: What if the first time Steven saw Sugilite fuse went different? What if he got injured?


When Garnet began to dance, synchronizing herself with Amethyst, the smallest of the Crystal Gems, with the exception of Steven of course, was so excited. She couldn't believe this was happening! It had been such a long time since Garnet had wanted to fuse with her. Even Pearl trying to stop Steven from watching didn't put a damper on her spirits. Garnet was much easier for Amethyst to sync up and fuse with than Pearl, and soon they were fused.

"I forgot how great it feels to be me!" She looked down, enjoying to look of joy and wonder on Steven's face. Pearl really needed to lighten up. What could go wrong?

"That's Sugilite?" Steven asked, looking up at the giant fusion gem.

"You got it baby! Hey Steven want to see something cool?"

"Yeah!" She wasted no time summoning Garnet's gauntlets, throwing them up in the air so they were able to join together. Using her wipe she quickly made their weapons into a wrecking ball. Ooh, the damage she could do with this! Those pillars stood no chance against her!

"You like that little man?"

"You gonna smash stuff with your wrecking ball thingy?" He was so easy to please and the joy on his face warmed something in Sugilite. She loved to make him happy.

"That's the plan! Where should I start?"

"Do that one!" he pointed to the column closest to her. This was going to be so much fun! Swinging her weapon, she easily destroyed the first column, causing debris to fly all around. She continued to break columns, easily blocking out Pearls annoying voice. That gem really needed to learn to lighten up a little! Everyone was having fun, why did she have to be such a stick in the mud?

They never did listen to her, Pearl thought. All this destruction and not even caring about who it could injur. She herself was fine, boulders and such weren't a match for her, even if she got hit by one. But Steven, he was part human. He could be easily injured and Pearl felt as if she was the only one that thought about these types of things sometimes. She really hated being the bad guy, the ruiner of fun, but someone had to be responsible, right?

"Ugh, you're just too much!" she called over to Sugilite who was happily pounding away at the columns.

"Maybe you're just too little," came the snarky reply which did nothing to calm the anger and annoyance at the entire situation Pearl could feel swirling in her belly. Turning towards Steven to tell him that they were going, Pearl watched in horror as a rock, at least half of his bod size slammed into him. The boy stumbled, backwards, tripping over his own feet as he attempted to regain his balance. It was a lost cause as he fell, his head connecting with some of the debris lying on the ground. Looking back on it later the resulting crack seemed so much louder than it should have been.

"Steven," his name barely a whisper, unable to force any sound out past the lump that had formed in her throat. "STEVEN!" Finally able to move, she rushed to his side. Frantically she picked up the rock that had hit him and tossed it over her shoulder uncaring. No, no, no this couldn't be happening, this wasn't real.

"Steven, Steven, wake up!" she called, cupping his cheek, eyes searching his face for any signs of life. Placing her hand gently behind his head in order to prop him up slightly, but stopped when she felt something wet. Blood, it was blood, Pearl thought numbly as she inspected her hand. There was quite a bit of it too. When she looked down at Steven again, she noticed that quite a bit of sand around his head had become darker and appeared to be wet.

"STEVEN! STEVEN WAKE UP! ANSWER ME!" she cried, shaking him. She knew she was coming slightly hysterical, but she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't' lose him, she just couldn't take that kind of pain and loss again.

All of Pearls yelling and screaming was beginning to really annoy Sugilite. Honestly, would it kill Pearl to be less of a killjoy? Turning to tell Pearl to shut it or leave, the fusion stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the scene before her. Steven lay limply in Pearls arms on the ground as the tall slender gem was bent over, ears pressed against his chest calling his name over and over again, her voice becoming louder and more hysterical when Steven didn't answer her. The hand that was cradling Stevens head was covered in a red liquid of sorts. Blood, the liquid was blood, one of the gems that made up Sugilite answered. The pure shock and intense emotion caused Sugilite to loose form, Garnet and Amethyst landing on the sand below.

How could she have missed this coming? Garnet wondered. She knew forming Sugilite with Amethyst was risky and they weren't the most stable of fusions personality wise, but she never would have suggested it if she thought Steven would have been in any danger. Forcing herself to stand, she walked over to Pearl and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Come, we should take him to Rose's fountain," she said, her stoic mask firmly in place. She couldn't afford to fall apart now. She needed to remain strong for the team. Pearl was already falling apart and judging from the sniffling she could hear behind her, Amethyst wasn't fairing much better.

"But what if it doesn't work? Rose's fountain can only do so much and there's so much blood!" Pearl demanded. She was hunched over Steven protectively, looking at Garnet as if she had all the answers. In a way she did. She could see equal opportunities where the fountain healed Steven and where it did not.

"We won't know until we try, common now." Garnet made her way to the warp pad, barely suppressing her emotions enough to function. "You too Amethyst."

"But," the purple gem started.

"But nothing. What will I say to Steven when he wakes up and finds you are not there?" Garnet knew she was being a bit harsh playing on Amethysts emotions right now, but she needed the younger gem with them not only for when Steven awoke, but so Garnet could keep an eye on her, lest she do something rash in her grief and anger.

Instead of arguing like she normally would have done, Amethyst simply nodded and rushed over to the pad. She reached out to touch Steven who was cradled in Pearls arms, only to stop herself. _Oh Amethyst,_ Garnet knew that she had to help her team mate overcome this. _Once Steven is alright,_ she vowed silently. She couldn't allow herself to think that he would do anything but make it through. If that happened and for Garnet, it was a bit if, she would cross that bridge when she came to it and not a moment sooner.

The moment they arrived, Peal dashed towards the fountain. Garnet watched as Pearl settled herself in the water, supporting him while keeping as much as his body in the water as she could. Sitting on the edge of the fountain, they all watched Steven in a tense silence, waiting for him to wake up.

"How come he's not waking up?" Amethyst asked, voice quivering. The youngest gem looked like a giant ball of energy that would go off at any moment without warning. Garnet longed to console her, to tell her that everything would be alright and that it wasn't her fault what happened, it was Garnet's. She was the leader, the one with future vision. She should have foreseen this happening and been able to prevent it. She had always seen danger to Steven so easily yet she had missed this.

"The wound on his head has healed," Peal offered, her voice quiet and monotone. "He should be waking up."

"He will wake up in his own time. He's half human, they heal differently than us, but he will wake up," Garnet said confidently. She just had to keep believing that he would wake up and everything would be fine, right?

"If you two had just listened to me, none of this would have happened!" Pearl said, her arms tightening around Steven.

"Our fault? It was an accident! How is this my fault?" the young gem stood up from her place at the edge of the pool, eyebrows knit together.

"You know you can be volatile and unstable when you two fuse! Did you even think about Steven's safety at all?"

"Of course I care! How can you think that I don't?" Amethyst demanded.

"It's my fault," Garnet said, unable to meet either of their eyes. "I should have seen any danger that he would have been in before it happened, but I was too busy trying to get the job done and I wasn't thinking."

"Garnet," Pearl said, not knowing what to say to their de facto leader. It was easy for her to take out her fear and anger on Amethyst but she couldn't do it on Garnet.

"Hey guys, what's going on? How come we're in mom's fountain?" Steven asked.

"Steven! You're awake! How do you feel?" Pearl ran her hands along his body, checking for any other injuries she may have missed or the fountain had been unable to heal.

"Peaarrrrlllll, stop it tickles!" Steven giggled, twisting in her lap.

"Hey ya buddy, how are you feeling?" Amethyst said jumping into the fountain beside the two in the form of a dog, proceeding to shower Steven with puppy kisses.

"Amethyst!" the young boy playfully pushed as his friend and manage to escape Pearl's grasp to crawl over to Garnet, pulling himself into her lap. "What'cha doing all the way over here Garnet?"

"You fell asleep, we were waiting for you to wake up from your nap," Garnet replied simply. Perhaps when he was older she would tell him what really happened, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

"Alright. Well, I'm hungry, can we go get some pizza?" he asked, looking up to her with those adorable puppy eyes she could never seem to deny.

"Yes, lets all get pizza." She watched, smiling as Steven, raced towards to warp pad with Amethyst still looking like a dog in hot pursuit, playfully nipping at his heels and barking.


End file.
